1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a trading card, such as a baseball card, having electroluminescent features and a display stand having a means for illuminating such features. Electroluminescent material in a thin film is incorporated in the trading card. A display stand, having a power supply, provides current which energizes the electroluminescent film when the card is placed in the stand, thereby illuminating at least a portion of the graphics on the card.
2. Description of Related Art
The trading card industry has evolved and grown to become a major economic and cultural force in modem society around the world. Baseball cards, the first trading cards, originated in 1887. They were initially made from a cloth like material, and many were homemade by avid fans. As the popularity of the sport grew so did the interest in collecting cards. By the 1930""s the production of cards occurred on a much broader scale. Baseball cards were packaged with chewing tobacco, Cracker Jacks(trademark) and chewing gum. Three distinct sizes resulted from the various marketing/packaging techniques.
Major changes in the production of trading cards took place during the 1960""s. A standard size for card production replaced the previous mixed sizes formerly available. The industry expanded allowing for the production of trading cards beyond baseball cards. Other sports cards, such as football, basketball, hockey, and soccer went into production. In the next few years, as trading cards continued to gain in popularity and the industry grew, non-sports cards were developed. Today, trading cards of almost every arena can be found, including cards of television characters, mathematicians, scientists, and historical events. The industry has grown to phenomenal proportions supporting trading card fan clubs, monthly magazines, books, and online chat groups.
Some changes in trading cards from 1980 to 1996 include the addition of insertion cards. Such cards are found only in a few unmarked packs or sets of cards. Their rarity increases the value of these cards. Redemption cards, which are included in one out of every 360 packs of cards, are another example of an industry change. These cards are redeemable by the manufacturer for a limited edition set. Premium cards with UV coatings were introduced to the industry in the 1990""s. Such cards have a slick appearance. Holographic images superimposed onto cards give some cards the ability to offer changing appearances of the subject. Trading card games, developed from avid trading card enthusiasts have broadened the appeal of trading cards, as the industry as a whole continues to grow.
On Sept. 18, 2001, U.S. Pat. No. 6,292,780 B1 issued to Doederlein, et al. entitled xe2x80x9cTalking Trading Card Player Systemxe2x80x9d (hereinafter the ""780 Patent). The ""780 Patent describes previous attempts at making trading cards more interactive using bar codes or magnetic strips mounted on cards which can be scanned by reader devices for use in various applications. The ""780 Patent (and its related predecessors U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,641,164 and 5,480,156) provides more extended audio capabilities with individualized trading cards. However, the ""780 Patent teaches the use of the sound feature with standard, prior art graphics presentations. Consequently, the improvement in interactive nature of the card is merely an aural improvement and not a visual improvement.
A need exists for a further improvement to the trading card that allows for certain features of the trading card to illuminate and, if possible, simulate graphics movement or similar effects. It would also be desirable if the trading card was interactive with a base or holder, such that different trading cards generated different display characteristics when associated with such base or holder, such as a series of illuminations combined with an audio reproduction associated with said card. Such features could be used to make the cards more desirable, thereby making them valuable marketing tools in combination with other products.
The proposed invention comprises a trading card having electroluminescent features that can be placed in a display stand or other display means. The display stand contains a power supply and, optionally, a switch, speaker, and other necessary circuitry. The electroluminescent feature on the trading card comprises a thin film electroluminescent material. When the electroluminescent film is energized, the electroluminescent feature illuminates.
The trading card can also incorporate a thin film circuit that can control the illumination of several electroluminescent features on the card in series, thereby creating, for example, a motion effect on the card. The thin film circuitry can also interface with the base components to provide for an audio presentation associated with the particular trading card.
The features presented by the trading card and the base make a trading card that is desirable to the consumer and can be used in a number of marketing applications. For example, the base and a set of trading cards can be sold as a starting kit for collectors. Thereafter, trading cards can be given away as promotional prizes in various products, such as a bag of potato chips or other snacks.
The above as well as additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following written detailed description.